Of course, since this is Night Vale, there’s a sinister twist. The show has developed a cultlike group of listeners, some of whom have channeled their inner-Etsy to pay tribute to the program. My favorite examples? Check out these Night Vale fingernails. And this natty little crocheted Night Vale purse.

The "Welcome to Night Vale" logo created by Dallas designer Rob Wilson

Sinister scientists. Mysterious lights. Dark hooded figures. The residents of the fictional desert town of Night Vale are having issues. Big time. And I can’t get enough.

“Welcome to Night Vale” is a quirky podcast launched four months ago by New Yorkers Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. But there’s a Texas twist: Cranor grew up in Mesquite and he’s a Texas A&M alum. He’s also friends with Dallas designer Rob Wilson (As seen in the May issue of FD Luxe : “They’re Crafty, These Guys”), who recently launched mod paper goods line Silas Tom and designed the Night Vale logo.

Native Texan Jeffrey Cranor (left, with balloon) and Joseph Fink, seen here performing their NYC play “What the Time Traveler Will Tell Us” , created the Night Vale podcast. Photo: Anton Nickel

The twice-monthly podcast consists of “community updates” from Night Vale’s local radio host with news, announcements and advertisements. (Prime example: “Tired of your home? Sick of comfort? Come to the hole in the vacant lot out back of the Ralph’s and huddle with us. Who are we? Good question. … Why do we want you to come? Why did we spend money for this airtime? We understand that you are confused, but .. Hole. Vacant lot. Ralph’s. Huddle. Us. For the low, low price. Act today. Or tomorrow. Not Wednesday. Wednesday is no good for us. Anyway, we’re almost out of air time, so just come on down to the hole in the vacant lot out back of the Ralph’s and huddle with us. Or else.”

The podcast is difficult to classify, but has been described as “the news from Lake Wobegon as seen through the eyes of Stephen King.” I’ve jokingly said it’s like NPR meets The Mothman Prophecies. The point is that it’s highly original and tremendous fun. Each episode also has a “weather report” that consists of a song from lesser-known artists. I recently downloaded “Closer” by The Tiny as a result.

Night Vale is produced by Joseph Fink’s indie publishing house, Commonplace Books. You can download and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. I’m also semi-obsessed with the show’s irreverent Twitter feed @NightValeRadio. In fact, I’ll wrap this up with one of their recent tweets: “The beating of your heart, only louder. The song ‘La Bamba’, only faster. That feeling when you realize you’re not alone, only more so.”